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Monday, November 30, 1998 Published at 14:14 GMT


Talking Point


Can we trust weather forecasters?

Just how accurate do you think weather forecasters are? Do you have a particular favourite whom you trust more than others?

Well a new league table has been created in the UK to show you who is hot and who is not in the world of weather prediction.


Click here to listen to both sides of the debate on BBC Radio 5 Live
BBC weathergirl Suzanne Charlton's accounts of the nation's weather tops the chart, but with only a 46% accuracy rating.

Bill Giles comes in a close second with 45%, and Michael Fish follows with 41%. However Peter Cockcroft fails to impress at the bottom of the league with just 32%

But the Met Office insists it has an accuracy rating of 86%.

But how can accuracy be measured? Would you rather hear the weather from an expert or a television personality?

Author of the league table, Dr John Thornes who is the director of Birmingham's climate and atmospheric research centre does not think we should be quite so impressed with our forecasters.

He believes anyone can make a forecast with about 77% accuracy, by just predicting that the weather will stay the same as today's - because the weather usually stays static for long periods.

But the Met Office says individual forecasters should not be singled out. It says their forecasters are trained meteorologists and the performance of the office as a whole is audited regularly.

What do you think?

Can we trust weather forecasters?

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Can we trust weather forecasters?

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